Passing of the Torch: Los Angeles Set for Olympic Firsts in 2028

With the Paris Olympics in the books, Los Angeles is officially on the clock for the next Summer Games. 

The opening ceremony in L.A. is slated for July 14, 2028—only 1,432 days away from Monday.

The LA28 organizing committee is working on a budget that currently sits at roughly $7 billion. That’s lower than the $10 billion price tag the Paris Olympics will likely end up with, and the $13 billion spent on the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021.

Already, L.A. Olympics officials have rolled out some tantalizing plans for competition venues. Following the success of the U.S. Olympic swimming team trials at the Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the Rams and Chargers’ SoFi Stadium will host swimming events at the Olympics in 2028. 

The city that last hosted the Olympics in 1984 will lean on its variety of other Games-ready venues, too. The Los Angeles Coliseum will host track and field events, basketball will be played at the Clippers’ new $2 billion Intuit Dome, the Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena will give gymnastics a big spotlight, and the famous Southern California beaches will welcome events like surfing and open-water swimming.

In an effort to avoid building new venues for the Los Angeles Olympics, softball and canoe slalom will be played 1,300 miles away at existing facilities in Oklahoma City. This summer, surfing for the Paris Olympics was conducted in Tahiti.

New Look, Familiar Sports

Six new sports are on the docket for the Los Angeles Olympics. Perhaps most notable for American fans is the debut of flag football and the return of baseball. Both competitions could feature top professional players.

The NFL has shown support for Olympic flag football and is open to active players participating. During the Paris Games, the league released an ad with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in Los Angeles touting the 2028 Olympics. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred last month said he is also open to having active players from his league compete at the Olympics, which would likely require a break during the regular season.

Squash will also make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles. Softball is returning to the Games. And so are cricket and lacrosse, which haven’t been part of the Olympic program in more than a century.

Breaking (also known as breakdancing), which made its Olympic debut in Paris late last week, won’t be a competition in Los Angeles. Boxing’s status is up in the air as the sport struggles to agree on a governing body.